Nord contract revealed

Deal with administrator would run through May 2015; public meeting set

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013 1:15 a.m. CST

BY MATT MENCARINI
mmencarini@saukvalley.com
800-798-4085, ext. 529

DIXON – The public will have about 7 days to review David Nord’s contract before the Dixon City Council votes on whether to hire him as city administrator.

The contract was placed on file during the City Council meeting Monday night. Nord, the former Cherry Valley village administrator, is the finalist for Dixon’s city administrator position. There will be a special council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 to vote on his hiring.

Police Chief Danny Langloss led a 10-person hiring committee that included Commissioners Dennis Considine and Jeff Kuhn. They reviewed the résumés of 40 applicants before reaching a consensus on Nord.

A verbal agreement was reached Oct. 25, Langloss said.

Nord would be the city’s first administrator.

There will be a public meet-and-greet for Nord from 6 to 7:30 p.m. today at The Next Picture Show.

Nord’s proposed contract runs through May 31, 2015, which means it’s set to expire shortly after the next municipal election. Whether to renew the contract will be one of the first items the new or re-elected City Council will face.

Go to http://shawurl.com/uvg to read the contract.

The proposed contract would start Nord’s salary at $101,500 and increase it to $105,000 on May 1, which is the same 3.5 percent raise all city employees will receive, Langloss said. He will receive the same benefits as those in the city’s other full-time administrative positions.

Approximately 6 months from when Nord “assumes the duties of city administrator,” which could be as soon as Nov. 13, he will be evaluated by the City Council. After that, his performance will be reviewed every year.

“At the yearly evaluation he wants the [International City/County Management Association’s] 360 Evaluation so he can get full feedback, from not just the council but the department heads,” Langloss said. “And so he’s made that request. He wants to make sure that he knows he is fulfilling the expectations and doing a good job there.”

Nord can be fired by the City Council at any time, but if done without “good cause” he’ll receive a 6-month severance package – about $52,500 after May 1 – paid in one lump sum.

According to the contract, reasons for “good cause” can include insubordination or failure to follow lawful written City Council directives, excessive alcohol use or the use of illegal drugs, making false statements on the employment application, knowingly falsifying city records or documents, or “conscious misrepresentation of material facts to the City Council.”

The severance package is the same as other similarly sized municipalities throughout the state, Langloss said, adding that the special committee used information provided by the Illinois City/County Management Association in its negotiations.

In May 2015, the City Council will discuss whether to renew or extend the contract beyond May 31, 2015. If the City Council doesn’t renew or extend the contract for at least a year, with similar or agreed upon terms, the city will have to pay Nord the 6-month severance package.

Nord will have until Jan. 1, 2016, to establish his “principle residency” in Dixon’s city limits. The city will reimburse him up to $2,500 for moving expenses.

The delay in this requirement, Langloss said, was because the contract only runs until the end of May 2015 and if he’s retained, Nord will have 6 months to establish the residency.

In the future, all city administrators will have to live within the city limits.

Nord also will receive $200 a month for using his personal vehicle and $30 a month to reimburse expenses related to his personal cellphone, in addition to other business-related expenses in accordance with the city’s expenses policy.

The money for the cellphone, Langloss said, was primarily for the data plan because the city will want him to be connected while away from City Hall.

Not providing Nord with a city vehicle, something he didn’t request, is a good deal for the city, Langloss said, comparing the cost of a $30,000 car to $2,400 a year.

To attend

The public meet-and-greet for David Nord, the finalist to be Dixon's city administrator, will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St.

The Dixon City Council next meets at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at City Hall, 121 W. Second St., on the second floor in the council chambers.

Go to www.DiscoverDixon.org or call City Hall at 815-288-1485 for an agenda or more information.